Description
This is a fine Bavarian Reserve Officer’s pickelhaube from a Chevaulegers or Schweres-Reiter-Regiment. The helmet would have been correct for any of the regiments listed below.
2. Schweres-Reiter-Regiment
1. Chevaulegers-Regiment Kaiser Nickolaus con Rußland
3. Chevaulegers-Regiment Herzog Karl Theodor
5. Chevaulegers-Regiment Erzherzog von Österreich
7. Chevaulegers-Regiment Prinz Alfons
Each of these five regiments used gold-toned furniture. As these Chevaulegers-Regiments were all “odd-numbered” regiments, their even-numbered counterparts (Chevaulegers-Regiment Nrs 2, 4, 6, and 8) used silver-toned furniture. The 1. Schweres-Reiter-Regiment also used silver-toned furniture.
The helmet’s leather body is in fine condition, generally. Some small imperfections and shrinkages in the front and rear visors are present. The quite typical settling of the leather where the large cruciform is attached is not as pronounced on the leather body’s top. All in all, it is a lovely leather body. Like all Bavarian officers’ pickelhauben, it has a squared-front visor rather than the Prussian-style rounded front visor (except for Prussian Dragoner-Regiments and General officers’ spiked helmets). All of its furniture, including the wappen, chin scales, cruciform, officer’s stars, trim and tall, fluted spike (capable of being dismounted for the attachment of a trichter and horsehair bush) are made of brass.
The wappen features a pair of rampant Bavarian Lions holding between their paws a shield on which the reserve officer cross appears. While the shield is brass, the oversized cross is silver-toned. Mounted on the cross’s center is a smaller shield displaying the Bavarian state flag’s checkerboard design. The chin scales are convex, differentiating it from an Infanterie spiked helmet. The exterior’s final details are the correct officer’s State’s and Reich’s kokarden, which both exhibit some chipping to their paint.
The helmet’s interior displays a dark leather sweatband that has seen moderate use. An unusual light-green silk liner (in excellent condition) is attached to the sweatband. All of the correct hardware is present beneath the silk liner. NO double holes are present.
This is a well-preserved Kavallerie officer’s pickelhaube that was produced prior to WW I and remains in fine condition.
